| Africa University celebrates a decade of education and growth BY LINDA GREEN UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE  People from around the world gathered at United Methodist-related Africa University Nov. 15-17 to celebrate the schools 10th anniversary, with special events that included the dedication of two new dormitories and a theology building. Ten years is a short time in the life of a university, but Africa University has become one of the most active in Africa in that time, noted Vice Chancellor Rukudzo Murapa, after a processional opening the formal celebration event Nov. 16. Africa Universitys curriculum and programs will play a role in the rebirth and reunification of the continent, he said. Born in a scrub field with 40 students, the university today has been described as a cosmopolitan endeavor with a world-class campus and a diverse community of 1,500 people. It is also the first United Methodist-related, degree-granting institution in Zimbabwe. More than 1,000 students from around Africa are enrolled there, and 899 graduates are working and providing leadership around the continent and the world. They are agriculturalists, teachers, researchers, entrepreneurs and pastors. Our combined efforts have resulted in an institution that is a place of hope, renewal and innovation and a source of a new leadership model for the people of Africa, Murapa said. Africa University is proof that when we put God in front of our plans, they will be implemented, no matter how long it takes, said Tsitsi Kagurabadza, the universitys food service manager and one of 25 people to receive a 10-year pioneer service award. It is prime. It is holy ground. The institution is a beacon of light in Africa, implementing knowledge with a spiritual foundation, she said. The opening ceremony featured African dignitaries from across the continent, as well as United Methodist pastors and church leaders from the United States. Murapa got them into a celebratory mood by leading the Africa University Choir in singing Happy Birthday to the university. He encouraged the United Methodist Church and the citizens of Africa to finish the work we have been commanded to do. The school still needs prayers, as well as gifts and collective commitment, to survive despite the ever growing hostile socioeconomic environment, he said.  Graca Machel, a well-known education advocate in Mozambique, was an honored guest at the Nov. 16 event. The university conferred upon her an honorary doctor of law degree for her work in championing education, literacy, human rights, social justice and development in Africa. While the 21st century is a time of great promise, it is also a time of great misery for millions of Africans, Machel said. She described the overwhelming poverty that the continent is experiencing at a time when other nations are prospering, and the AIDS pandemic that has left 11 million children without parents. The disease has affected more than one-third of Africas countries, she said. If the rate of infection were stopped today, we (would) have to deal with the impact for the next 20 to 30 years. The visitors at the anniversary celebrations included 80 people from the South Carolina Annual Conference, who came to see the formal dedication of the Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey Faculty of Theology Building. The conference had financed the building, named for the South Carolina bishop. The theology building provides a separate facility for people preparing for full-time ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. The building was designed to be a place where men and women will acquire theological education and training for ministry in an African context. The construction of the building also has helped relieve overcrowded classrooms and offices. Also in attendance was Bishop Felton Edwin May, a member of the Board of Trustees of Africa University. The Baltimore-Washington Conference has donated $50,000 to the university, and an athletic center, named in honor of Bishop May, is expected to be dedicated in the near future. | 
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